The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago showcases Shakespeare on screen in Akira Kurosawa’s epic masterpiece Ran and National Theatre Live’s broadcast of As You Like It.
 

As You Like It
by Polly Findlay (2015 UK) 180 min.
Saturday, April 2 at 2:30 p.m.
 
Shakespeare’s glorious comedy of love and change comes to the National Theatre for the first time in over 30 years. With her father the Duke banished and in exile, Rosalind and her cousin Celia leave their lives in the court behind them and journey into the Forest of Arden. There, released from convention, Rosalind experiences the liberating rush of transformation. Disguising herself as a boy, she embraces a different way of living and falls spectacularly in love. DCP digital. (Description courtesy of NT Live) Featuring Rosalie Craig and Patsy Ferran.
 

Ran
by Akira Kurosawa (1985 Japan) 162 min.
Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. • Saturday, April 2 at 2:30 p.m. • Sunday, April 3 at 4:30 p.m. • Monday, April 4 at 4:30 p.m. • Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m.
 
Kurosawa’s spectacular, shattering epic is the crowning masterpiece of the director’s fifty-year career. Loosely adapted from King Lear, the story centers on Lord Hidetora (Nakadai), an aging medieval warlord who turns over his lands to his three sons and suffers a series of betrayals that drive him to despair and madness. A remarkably rich, almost overwhelming viewing experience, notable for its nightmarish battle scenes and exquisite production design, Ran ("Chaos" in Japanese) is a harrowing descent into a world gone mad. In Japanese with English subtitles. New 4K DCP digital restoration. Featuring Tatsuya Nakadai and Meiko Harada.